Crossing the Street Like Good Children
by Canadino
Summary: "When you cross the street, you should hold hands with someone." In which Kagami the firefighter volunteers at the kindergarten for a day. Kagami/Kuroko, jobs!AU


**Disclaimer: The only thing I own is the story idea and only some of the witty remarks. I own so little; so please don't steal.**

Background music: -

[=]

So Kagami Taiga, firefighter, was dating a kindergarten teacher.

"I'm so proud," Himuro said, visibly tearful as he confronted Kagami in the hallway after Kagami mumbled something about Kuroko and a date. "My baby brother's growing up…this is so precious." He sobbed dramatically. "The tiger has his first taste of love."

"Shut up," Kagami grumbled, horrified, and threw a half-hearted punch that Himuro deftly dodged. Number Two barked with the same amused look Himuro wore on his face. Kagami made his way determinedly down the hall, but Himuro tagged along after him with Number Two at his heels.

"How did the date go?"

He remembered the blonde friend crying the entire time and the damn cop Aomine glaring at him for the duration of the dinner. In fact, if he recalled correctly, they were all glaring at him. "Hostile," he said, though it fazed Himuro none. "A lot of hostility."

"So you like it _that_ way," Himuro said knowingly, and stepped back as Kagami threw his fist back again. "As much as I love teasing you about your revived love life, I actually came to tell you something. Chief says we're not taking enough days off."

"What!"

"He says we get two weeks off a year for vacation leave and we're all overachieving and working more than we should. So he said we should take some vacations, so we all don't take off at the same time during certain parts of the year." Himuro stared pointedly at Kagami as he scooped up Number Two. Kagami felt words like _Christmas _and _Valentine's Day_ float into his head. "I took the liberty of getting you Friday off."

Kagami stopped so suddenly Himuro nearly crushed Number Two between them. "What did you do that for?" he asked, turning and yelping as Number Two was shoved in his face. Ever since dogs had been discovered to be his weakness at the firehouse, the other guys had taken it upon themselves to make sure Number Two popped up near Kagami at all times. Himuro, Kagami had a nagging suspicion, was the ringleader of that scheme. "What am I going to do on a day off?"

"Oh, I don't know," Himuro said, his voice indicating that he did know. "Why don't you visit your boyfriend?" He and Number Two watched as Kagami sputtered and stumbled backward clumsily. "If that's how you're going to act whenever anyone mentions Kuroko-_kun_, I don't think you stopped being a middle school girl, Taiga."

"Himuro!" Kagami raged, and his senior laughed as he scampered down the hall, clutching Number Two. He willed his panicked breath to catch again; he had to learn not to act as if his courtship with Kuroko was a big deal. Kuroko would like it if he visited him at the school, though. Kuroko was really invested in the kids. Kagami did not particularly enjoy the company of children, but he figured he could make an exception.

[=]

Children were terrifying creatures.

"Ah, everyone," Kuroko said, rushing forward. The moment Kagami had come into the classroom on Friday morning, all the curious children had ran over and bunched up at his legs, looking up at him with awe. A brave soul had attempted to scale his leg. "Don't crowd around Kagami -_kun_…"

"So," Kagami said awkwardly as Kuroko guided the mob over to another corner to prepare for morning activities, "you have to deal with this on a daily basis?"

"I'm not tall enough for them to climb," Kuroko chuckled, and Kagami felt himself reddening as he thought about how cute Kuroko sounded. "I was surprised though," Kuroko said, hanging back in the corner with Kagami, looking up at him with a wane smile. "I didn't think firefighters could just take vacations like that, and to spend it with me…"

"Well, you know Himuro, he thought I should just…and well…things happened…"

"I feel very lucky," Kuroko interrupted him. "To have someone so dedicated to be mine." Kagami flushed some more and was glad Kuroko pinked too. "Anyway, you're helping out today, so could you come clear the reading corner…we start with story time…"

At Kuroko's demure suggestion, Kagami acted out the story, feeling a little foolish being so large and having to act out several characters, but the children did not seem to mind and stared up at him with shiny, engaged eyes. He must have made an impression on them, for some of them clamored over to him at snack time and hung off his shoulders and babbled at him. Kuroko skillfully extracted Kagami from the mess of children. How anyone could handle such energetic youngsters was beyond Kagami; he thought _fires_ were tiring.

"Come, Kagami-_kun_," Kuroko said, "we take the children out on a walk around the neighborhood before naptime."

Kagami, easily being the tallest of the teachers combined, was assigned to lead the two, single-filed line with Kuroko. For someone who usually rushed in to find people, it felt strange to be followed. The children shuffled behind them obediently down the sidewalk.

"I hope you weren't turned off by my friends," Kuroko started, as Kagami struggled to find a point of conversation so they didn't lead the chattering pack soundlessly. "They tended to baby me a lot…I think they liked you."

"They did?" If gross sobbing and hateful glares counted as 'liking' in Kuroko's book, Kagami thought he was going to reassess their relationship. Kuroko noticed the look on his face and smiled understandingly.

"Yeah, I guess not…"

"Then don't say it in the first place!"

"It doesn't matter," Kuroko insisted. "They're not the ones dating you." They reached the end of the block and Kuroko stopped the lines. "Alright, everyone," he said, clapping his hands for attention, and the children fell silent. "We're about to cross the street. What do we do?"

At once, the two lines joined hands. "That's right," Kuroko said happily, his eyes shining. "When you cross the street, you should hold hands with someone. No running and no pushing, remember? Look both ways and keep going." He extended a hand to Kagami. "Shall we go?"

Kagami looked at Kuroko's hand like it was the plague.

"Come on, Kagami-_kun_," Kuroko said good-naturedly, before leaning forward. "It would look bad if the teachers leading the group didn't do as they said, right?"

Kagami gulped and quelled the screaming in his mind as he took Kuroko's hand. It was dry and cool, in contrast to his frantic, clammy hand. But Kuroko did not pull away or make a face; scanning the street, he directed the children across and gave Kagami's hand a slight squeeze.

_Oh god oh god oh god_, Kagami thought in a frenzy. He was holding hands with Kuroko. In public. Followed by children. _Himuro must never know_.

"_Sensei_," a girl chimed up behind them as they continued down the block, "we crossed the street already, why are you still holding hands with firefighter-_san_?"

Kagami almost shrieked, but Kuroko answered her with utmost calmness. "It's normal to hold hands with your friends, isn't it?" he asked, and she nodded. "You hold hands with your best friends and your parents even if you aren't crossing the street sometimes, don't you?" She returned back to her friend, seemingly satisfied by his answer, but Kagami dropped Kuroko's hand anyway.

Kuroko looked down at his hand, and Kagami leaned in. "I really wanna kiss you right now," he mumbled, hoping he said it quietly and quickly enough that no one else could hear.

Kuroko looked up at him, blankly, and Kagami feared he would have to say it again, but the kindergarten teacher stifled a laugh. "They have nap time when we go back," he murmured back, leaning into Kagami for a moment. "You can wait until then, right?"

He owed Himuro one, Kagami thought triumphantly, as Kuroko settled into step with him, but that cocky, brooding bastard would _never_ know how good of an idea taking a sudden vacation was.

[=]

Note: Because a lot of people have asked, this fic _is the sequel_ to 'In the Absence of Basketball'! I really like this AU.


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